ABSTRACT
Over the past decades, a substantial volume of literature has dwelt on the subject of colonization and economic performance of former colonies.1 Economists became interested in colonial legacies in their search for the reasons why some countries have grown relatively slower than others. Notably, recent cross-country empirical evidence suggests that the identity of the colonizing power (or colonial origin) might help explain the observed growth differential amongst former colonies around the world.2 In particular, it is claimed that, on average, former British colonies have grown faster than former French colonies, although much controversy still surrounds the probable mechanisms of transmission of any such colonial legacy.
